Chapter IV:

Now, fourteen years after Return of the Jedi…

"Indeed, doctor."

"Oh, yes, you see, of course, I still have a few of those things with me…Even after the incident. And now…" the doctor laughed maniacally, "now you're going to die!"

"I've been threatened with death before."

"Oh, really, it must be one of the hazards of your profession. Truly, that's all it was for me, a hazard of being an experimental doctor, no reason whatever to drag me in." The doctor paused, as if expecting a reply, but realizing that none was forthcoming, he continued: "Of course, you have to realize, I'm not just threatening you with death. I'm guaranteeing it!" He paused to laugh crazily again.

"I'm sure."

"Now, really, Boba Fett, I thought you were smarter than that. I dosed you with it as soon as you stepped on board my ship. Ha ha ha ha ha…And I already took the antidote! But I won't give it to you unless you set me free! Oh no, Boba Fett, no matter how much you threaten me, I won't give it to you."

Boba Fett made no answer, as if thinking over what the doctor had told him.

"You know you don't have long to debate it. My poison acts rather quickly. You better just let me out of here, then I'll give it too you."

"I don't think so."

"Come, now, Boba Fett, you're disappointing me. I though you were some great survivor. Don't die just to prove me wrong, now!" The doctor was practically dancing with glee.

Again, the bounty hunter made no answer.

"Tell you what, I'll even let you know how much time you've got left to decide. My, my, look at that, only half a minute left. How time flies when you're preparing to die!" the short little Gaagg collapsed into bouts of laughter. "Don't worry, I can wait. You can't."

The seconds ticked away, still Fett remained silent.

"Look, Boba Fett, you may very well have a death wish, but surely not through a painful, deadly poison! Ah ha ha ha ha! You think you'll win, don't you? Well, I'll have the last laugh, Boba Fett! You'll be dead—and I'll be here laughing! Know why, Boba Fett? Cause I'll have killed you! Yes, me! Ha ha ha ha ha…."

Still, the seconds ticked by. They became a minute, then two, then three…

The doctor was looking more and more worried as his prediction of thirty seconds was proved false. By the time five minutes had passed, with Fett apparently no worse for wear, the doctor was frantically re-living every minute of the dosage scene in his mind, wondering what vital step had been left out. He could think of none. He knew his poison had been right…so why wasn't the bounty hunter affected? A few moments later, when nothing happened, with the Gaagg still clueless as too his mistake, Fett turned to go.

"But—but you should be dead! You are dead! You have to be dead! I know I left nothing out! Nothing!" the prisoner screamed hysterically. Then, calmer, "all right, tell me what I missed. You are humanoid, and this poison affects almost every humanoid species in the galaxy. You are one it works on; the others are all the wrong sizes to wear that armor! No—wait! I know! You stole the antidote from me when…but it's still here in my hand! Or—yes! You're not affected because you're a species it was never tested on! An unknown! Right?"

"Wrong."

"But—but—but…" the doctor stuttered, perplexed.

"You were right the first time. Your poison is quite deadly." Fett had decided to humor his captive. It would be easier to quickly strip him of all hope this way than to wait for it to happen on its own.

"Then…then I must have made a mistake—gave you the wrong dosage—maybe I…but no…or did I remember to…? That's it! You distracted me, so I forgot to leak it properly!" Hurriedly, hopefully, grasping at anything that might answer his dilemma, the small creature pressed its face against the bars of the cage.

"No. You dosed the poison all right. I just didn't breathe any in." Besides, better creatures than you have tried similar tricks in the past.

"That's impossible! You were in my ship for over five minutes, and residual of the poison seeped into yours! It's been over half a time part since you were exposed! And you didn't hold your breath that long! It's impossible…" the dejected doctor wailed.

"Oxygen tube."

Those two words were enough to snatch every last element of hope from the Gaagg. The stories were true. There was no escaping this ruthless hunter. None….

As the prisoner's visage turned pale and waxy with fear, Fett turned. He ignored the muffled thump of the doctor's slide to the floor of the cage as he climbed the ladder to the cockpit.

Galla Merrann, a private citizen of Coruscant since the days of the Empire, had just returned from shopping. "Dearie, mummy's home!" Galla had expected the patter of tiny feet and a small bundle to launch itself at her legs. Instead, she heard nothing. "Sweetums, where are you? Mommy got you a sweet-cake!" That would bring her running! thought Galla with satisfaction.

"Mummeeee!" the anguished cry rang out from the back room.

"Addi? Addi, baby, what'samatta?" Galla set down her parcels and rushed towards her daughter's voice.

When the mother opened the door to rush in she suddenly stopped short. There, in her safe, secure home, someone was holding a blaster to her baby's head! "What are you doing with my child!?" she shrieked.

"Shut-up and I will not harm her." The young-looking, icy-blond female glared at Galla with cold daggers in her eyes. Addi tried to squirm in her arms. "And don't think about calling Security. You'd both be dead and I'd be gone before they could get here. Trust me; I've taken down Hutts with my bare-hands before, and much, much worse.

Though the girl didn't look hardly old or strong enough to do the feats she suggested, something in her eyes struck Galla as…wrong, somehow. They were so cold…colder than anything could be and live. "I'll do anything you say. Just don't hurt my Addi."

"Good. I just want you to shut-up and stay still. I need to get something that was hidden here a while ago." The woman dropped Addi to the floor and turned fluidly towards the wall. She pressed her hand to it and mouthed something, then a small part of the wall opened. The blonde reached in and took a small, wrapped package out. "Thank you. You never saw me."

"But-but…" Galla wasn't nearly so afraid of this thin, cool woman now that her baby was safe. And besides, her husband would be home soon. He was a security chief. He'd be able to handle this weird lady! "No, I think you'd better stay right where you are. I—I've called security. If you leave, they'll have to shoot you." There, the bluff should keep her here until Jooba gets home.

"You idiot. I warned you not to call security. Now, you'll never tell anyone what happened."

Ra'daali, an old Twi'likki woman who lived next door to Jooba and his family, was on her way to come talk with Galla over some Qerr-tea, when she noticed a strange woman leaving the apartment.

"Excuse me, child—" when you're as old a Ra'daali, anyone can be a child to you—"I haven't seen you around here before. "

The girl turned around and looked the old woman over with an appraising eye. Ra'daali shivered; here eyes were so cold. "I see, you must be that lady my aunt was telling me about…oh, my, I seem to have forgotten…let me think…you name was…Ja'li? No…"

"Oh, no, dearie, I'm Ra'daali. You're whose niece, then?"

"I'm Galla's…don't they have such a sweet little girl?"

Well, thought Ra'daali, that makes sense, then. She's all right, she's family. "Yes, dear, I just love little Addi! She's such a nice little girl, I quite agree! In fact, I was just going in to see them now!"

"Oh, no, I wouldn't do that if I were you. Addi, she's in a state. All cold and stiff, short of breath, chills, you know. It's rather contagious, really. I'm a doctor, you see, which is why they looked me up."

Ah, then, that would explain the cold eyes. A doctor, hmm! No wonder, I'm sure she's seen a lot of death in that profession, thought Ra'daali. "Well, then, I better not go in. At my age you have to be pretty careful, you see!"

"Oh, yes, I know that very well indeed. In fact, you look a little pale." The woman's eyes narrowed, examining the old Twi'lekk closely. "You've been exerting yourself a little too much lately. If you keep this up, you'll have to go see a doctor. I'll be leaving now, have to keep my appointments you know." The blonde turned to go.

"Oh, oh dear, yes, I suppose you're right…yes…must be going…must be going!" Ra'daali hurried away to her own apartment.